Search Engine UnOptimization Tools and Tips for Future-Proofing Your Search Marketing

1. Search Engine
Unoptimization
Tools and Tips for Future-Proofing
Your Search Marketing

2. Grant Simmons
Sr. Director
SEO, Social & Paid Search Media
#OrangeFedora

3. @simmonet
#eM14
resources:
http://unop.me/emarcom

4. NOT an act, process, or
methodology of making
something (as a design,
system, or decision) as fully
perfect, functional, or
effective as possible;
noun ˌən-äp-tə-mə-ˈzā-shən
un·op·ti·mi·za·tion

5. Optimization is Easy
@simmonet

6. @simmonet

7. R i i i i g g g g g h h h t t t t
@simmonet
Optimization is Easy

8. Unoptimization is not Easy
@simmonet

9. kinda
simple
Unoptimization is Simple Though
3 Main Considerations of Unoptimization
• User Experience
• Google Bashing
• Testing
@simmonet

10. I’m a
user too!
Unoptimization is Simple Though
3 Considerations of Unoptimization
• Unoptimization for User Experience
• Google Bashing
• Testing
@simmonet

11. Unoptimization
For User Experience
@simmonet

12. Social Experiment
User Experience
@simmonet

14. Unoptimization
The User-Centric Approach
@simmonet

15. Treat Everyone Equally Different
Content connects with Intent & Context
• Query research
• Persona development
• Unique onsite experiences
• Different conversion points
• Different metrics @simmonet

16. Segment by Device / Location
“Hi, I’m near your store”
@simmonet

17. Offer Onsite Self Segmentation
“Hi, this is my first time here”
@simmonet

18. Simple Segmentation Example

19. Offer Unique Experiences

20. Engage Your Audience
Engagement is key:
• Value
• Conversation
• Community
• Content
• Answer questions
Personalize not optimize @simmonet

21. Great Reference on Personas
• http://unop.me/personas
• Yes... It features Smurfs

22. ouch
Unoptimization
3 Main Considerations of Unoptimization
• User Experience
• Google Bashing Over Optimization
• Testing
@simmonet

23. Social Survey
Google Stats
@simmonet

24. How Many…
• Searches on Google a day?
@simmonet
6B
that’s 6 and 9 zeros

25. 56%
How Many of You…
• Percentage of Internet users that
Google themselves?
@simmonet

26. So Is Google Really Evil?
@simmonet

28. Too Much of a Good Thing
… is a bad thing
@simmonet

29. Argh

30. Guest Blogging is Done
Matt Cutts – Google Spam Team
@simmonet

31. Over Optimization
is a bad thing
@simmonet

32. Unoptimization
Is a Googlely thing
 @simmonet

33. Say What???

34. Danger! Technical Stuff.

35. Google Algorithm Updates

36. Penguin: Link “Naturalness”

37. YIKES!
Link Graphs Should Be Unoptimized
• Anchor text to brand / site
• Inter-site linking i.e. footer links
• Dofollow links to nofollow links
• Internal linking for users NOT Google
This obviously isn’t for users

38. Panda: Content Value

39. Content is Over optimized
scale over
substance
substance
over scale

40. Content Should be Unoptimized
Content production needs to change from:
• Auto generated to human generated
• ‘Thin’ to valuable
• Patterned to unique
• Scale to reasonable amount
• Generalists to authorities
better

41. Take a Fresh Look
At Your Link Graph & Content
@simmonet

42. Tools
Link Graph
• Open Site Explorer
• Majestic SEO
• Google Webmaster Tools
Content
• Screaming Frog
• Google SERP

43. Testing
1-2-3
Unoptimization
3 Main Considerations of Unoptimization
• User Experience
• Google Bashing
• Testing is Unoptimization
@simmonet

44. “Testing inherently comes at a cost – either time
money or both - without guaranteeing a
bottom-line positive outcome.
For many businesses this means testing is
perceived as an unjustifiable expense when in
fact it’s the most valuable of investments
in the unoptimization arsenal.”
~ Me

46. Budgeting for Testing
• Whatever you can get
• Whatever you can afford
• Whatever makes sense
• Whatever you are comfortable spending
There is no magic number BUT
You can start with 5-10% OR see above

47. Red Bull Example

48. Red Bull Example
• Obtuse Keywords
–“Games online”
–“Excel Help”
• Goal to tie Red Bull to
“consumption occasions”
• Ads mentioning Red Bull
• Built a test plan
• Assumed the worst case
• Set expectations

49. Red Bull Outcome

50. Other Tests We Do
• Title tags for click through rate
• On-page buttons, text and / or images
• Split traffic test on pages to conversions

51. Testing Tools to Help
• www.siteapps.com
• www.iperceptions.com
• www.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com
• www.google.com

52. Yes!
Unoptimization Simplified
3 Main Considerations
• User Experience
• Google Bashing
• Testing
@simmonet

53. Thank You
resources: http://unop.me/emarcom

54. Questions?
resources: http://unop.me/emarcom

55. Grant Simmons
Sr. Director
SEO, Social & Paid Search Media
@simmonet
#OrangeFedora

56. Search Engine
Unoptimization
Tools and Tips for Future-Proofing
Your Search Marketing
resources: http://unop.me/emarcom

58. How Much…
• Percentage of global web traffic
that dipped when Google
suffered a 5 minute outage?
@simmonet
40%